Whatchagot Stew, by Patrick McManus & Patricia McManus Gass

7.50 USD

Much like his friend Rae, who donates a recipe for tomato-soup cake to
this book, bestselling humorist McManus ( The Night the Bear Ate Goom
baw) here combines unexpected ingredients to come up with delicious fun.
In a fond, frequently hilarious recollection of his Depression-era
childhood, the author introduces a cast of characters whose recipes are
found in the volume's second half. His tough-as-nails mother ("just
scrape off the burnt part"), his sister (and coauthor, referred to as
The Troll) and childhood friend Vern Schulz, among others, get a chance
to shine. An avid outdoorsman and hunter, McManus has gathered plenty of
ideas for cooking up grouse, wild turkey, pheasant and freshly caught
fish; there are eight recipes for elk, a couple for bear and 16 for
venison, including salami and sausage. A chapter on breads includes
interesting sourdough variations, while the vegetable section goes heavy
on cabbage (fried, creamed or stuffed) and canned beans. Oddities
include kippered cherries, huckleberry liqueur and corncob jelly.
Preparation of food is, blessedly, subject to neither humor nor
confusion. Line drawings by the author's daughter.